Bethel University

Bethel University Professor of Nursing Marge Schaffer, Ph.D., has been awarded a Fulbright Specialist Award to advise the University of Auckland on its public health and primary healthcare nursing postgraduate program. For three weeks in March 2012, she will consult with university leaders on curriculum, learning outcomes, course development, and more.

"The opportunity to serve as Fulbright Specialist to the University of Auckland is a wonderful way to share and learn about current initiatives in public health nursing and effective ways to educate our future public health nurses," says Schaffer. "I love the idea of having my worldview enlarged through an exchange of ideas and strategies about how to improve the health of populations." 

Since 2002, Schaffer has collaborated with Nicollete Sheridan, Ph.D., at the University of Auckland  to apply the Public Health Nursing Intervention Wheel to public health systems in New Zealand. Schaffer's collaborative work with colleagues was instrumental in disseminating the Intervention Wheel nationally and internationally.

"Marge Schaffer's selection for the Fulbright Specialist Award is significant recognition of the excellence of her scholarship in the development of the Public Health Intervention Wheel and in the area of end-of-life decision-making," says Deb Harless, dean and vice president for Bethel's College of Arts & Sciences. " I am particularly grateful for the way Marge has built strong collaborations with other international scholars and has involved Bethel students in this research. This is a well-deserved honor for Marge's significant record of scholarly work and its contributions to the broader academic community."

Schaffer will share her expertise in population health, primary health care nursing, and end-of-life care through guest lectures and her consulting work. Schaffer, who was named Bethel's third University Professor in 2010, is co-author of Being Present: A Nurse’s Resource for End-of-Life Communication and recently co-authored the Population-Based Clinical Manual: The Henry Street Model for Nurses. She has also written multiple articles, editorials, and several book chapters as well as presented papers at national and international professional conferences.